My 3 year old 'Interstate' battery bit the dust today

[Donald]

My understanding is interstate costco is different than interstate.
I have 3 interstate costco batteries now.
Q was replaced just over a year in Utah life

I think it's a "it could be". Interstate is a brand and does not manufacture batteries. They source mainly from Clarios but from others like Exide. Costco is large enough to get Interstate to provide whatever price point batteries they want within reason.

 

[silversport]

if you look at the CA/CCA and RC of the Interstate battery you would buy at Costco, it should match up to one you can buy from Interstate itself...when I last bought Costco Interstate batteries (late June 2023) they matched up to a higher level Interstate battery and were much cheaper at Costco than buying from an Interstate seller...having bought my last Costco Interstate in June of 2023 I still have the 36 month full replacement warranty...since they have been in the ChicagoLand area the same battery as that sold at Walmart (Everstart Maxx) that would be where I check for future purchases as well as my local Menards for their AC Delco/Menards offering...

Bill

 

[Snagglefoot]

I had a three year old Motomaster AGM battery suddenly go dead. I had done about 5 miles of driving that morning, and did two starts with zero issues. There were no warning lights prior to the isse and my voltmeter on the dash wash between 14 and 15 volts where it normally is on this Chevy truck with an AC Delco alternator. The dash was totally dead during the episode. I used my 750 amp lithium jump starter and got a good start and drove the truck less than a mile home. After turning off the engine it wouldn’t start and I measured 2 v and 200 CCA with a “ bad battery” indicator on my tester.

I disconnected the ground and put on an old school dumb charger at 2 amps and left it on for about an hour. I reconnected the battery and I then started it it fine and drove 30 miles into town where I purchased a new NAPA battery. After few errands, all with good starts I drove home.

Before I put in the new battery I put on my tester and the old battery tested fine. I can’t stand intermittent battery issues. The battery was in my son’s Silverado two years ago and had gone a winter with few starts while he was working away from home. It seemed to act up for him as well after that but always tested good, including when I took it to Canadian Tire and it tested fine on their tester. I had thought I’d give it one more chance but that’s enough. Onward.

 

[Donald]

if you look at the CA/CCA and RC of the Interstate battery you would buy at Costco, it should match up to one you can buy from Interstate itself...when I last bought Costco Interstate batteries (late June 2023) they matched up to a higher level Interstate battery and were much cheaper at Costco than buying from an Interstate seller...having bought my last Costco Interstate in June of 2023 I still have the 36 month full replacement warranty...since they have been in the ChicagoLand area the same battery as that sold at Walmart (Everstart Maxx) that would be where I check for future purchases as well as my local Menards for their AC Delco/Menards offering...

Bill

Interstate has several CCA rated batteries for most group sizes. But you won't be able to find most of them unless you go to an Interstate dealer and maybe have to order.

 

[pbm]

What car? Is there a battery reset procedure for your car when installing a new battery? Our Ford Transit Connect has one that is performed from behind the wheel with high beam lever and brake pedal. If you don’t do it, it could shorten battery life.

Wow....I never knew there was such a procedure required. Thanks for the heads up.
Here it is:


PS: In an earlier post I said the Costco battery was now $179 but it was actually still $119 (which is what I paid for it in 2023 IIRC although it may have been $109). I thought I saw them for $179 at the Costco up north but I might have been looking at a different size....at any rate they are $119 at Costco in MB, South Carolina. Also, I'm still amazed how gasoline yoyos up and down here weekly. I drive by a station at 9am and regular is $2.27a gallon....and hour later it's $2.69.....3 or 4 days later it's back down ....then back up. I never recall such short term fluctuations up north?

 

[walterjay]

I have had only poor results with Interstate.

 

[Capt W]

I'm not sure if it's the batteries or newer cars. Adaptive (under) charging, more gizmos and computers to draw the battery down, etc. I haven't noticed a difference battery longevity with my fleet of clunkers. I don't live in a stupid hot climate, though.

I absolutely live in a hot climate, and over the course of my career I've lived in several hot climates (including Tucson and West Texas). I drive older stuff and have never experienced shortened battery life. The AC Delco 94R AGM battery in my wife's 2008 Charger is a few months shy of 10 years old and still cranks fine. The Exide (Rural King) Group 34s in my old Dodge Daytona and Caravan are each five years old and are good as well.

 

[silversport]

Interstate has several CCA rated batteries for most group sizes. But you won't be able to find most of them unless you go to an Interstate dealer and maybe have to order.

I used to just look at the Interstate website online then look at which level battery they sell that was the same as the specifications of the Costco Interstate along with the warranty...

in the case of my 2005 GMC Yukon Denali, the Costco/Interstate Group 78 800/1000 CA/CCA at $119.99 with prorated 36 months was most similar to Interstate's own Group 78 MTP-78 for $224.95 with 30 months free replacement warranty...

at the time I bought mine in June of 2023, the Costco warranty was 36 months full replacement warranty...

Bill

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I spotted something I was not aware of this week @ Home Depot. I have known they have a small aisle of auto products. They also sell batteries near the contractor supply area in the store. They have a pretty good display of auto & various use batteries there. I did not know it but it appears they only sell the Exide brand. I have heard of them being pretty good in the past. Prices were decent too.

 

[boom10ful]

I spotted something I was not aware of this week @ Home Depot. I have known they have a small aisle of auto products. They also sell batteries near the contractor supply area in the store. They have a pretty good display of auto & various use batteries there. I did not know it but it appears they only sell the Exide brand. I have heard of them being pretty good in the past. Prices were decent too.

I'm going to try one of those when my battery craps out. I'm curious to see if it'll last

 

[Cheetah-kins]

I have a free AAA battery I got as a premium member. They used to - maybe still do - have a policy that if you were a gold member and you needed a jump and the battery was too old to hold a charge they would put in a new one no charge. A nice perk considering I've never bought a battery from them. Anyway 6 years ago my car wouldn't start after I came out of a class. This didn't entirely surprise me because I knew the battery was on it's last leg. Called AAA, they sent a truck and when tested it showed the battery was at it's end. So they called the battery truck which came and replaced the battery about 20 minutes later. This was impressive as not only did AAA pay for the battery, they even had the right size for my somewhat unusually sized ancient Miata. It's a no name battery but still going strong.

Also, I think the commenter earlier that said he'd heard Costco Interstate Batteries are not the same as non discounted Interstate Batteries is almost certainly correct. I know Costco is loved by many here but aside from a few things you can get a deal on, I think you're generally getting stuff of equal quality to what you're paying. In other words, not a deal.

 

[silversport]

with regards to the Costco Interstate, my experience with them is different than your conclusion...when I have purchased them in ChicagoLand, they were both JCI/Clarios made and the CA/CCA/RC were the same between the Costco Interstate and mid/upper level Interstate sold by Interstate retailers...

I doubt I would buy a Costco Interstate today because of the prorated warranty when the same Clarios battery (in my experience again) is available from Walmart (Everstart Maxx) within $10 and has the full 3 year non prorated warranty for full replacement...

Good luck with your choice,

Bill

 

[super20dan]

had greatt luck with napa batterys . 3 of them went over 5 years and were still going but decided not push my luck any further. one i didnt replace and it closing in on 6 yrs now and this is in florida

 

[SOUNDMAN5000]

I always buy O'Reilly AGM batteries for my Harley (s) as it is made by East Penn/ Deka ( same brand that makes Harley OEM in 2025 anyway ) and I prefer East Penn Batteries and its the best value and has the exact same terminals as the OEM and all other brands differ so its O'Reilly for the bike.
Someone posted that Walmart CAR batteries are East Penn, My research suggested not but can someone say for sure?

Regardless, when it comes to my cars I now buy Walmart based on price alone as in my town Walmart is MUCH less $ for the same spec car battery. Time will tell regarding battery life in my Southern high heat area...

 

[silversport]

it may depend on where you live...many in the eastern states say East Penn while many in the western states have Clarios on their batteries from Walmart (Everstart Maxx)

Bill